It has often been suggested that our populace is "hooked on television," but this notion has never received any serious scientific consideration. The present proposal attempts to apply R. L. Solomon's opponent process model of addiction to the viewing, specifically, of media violence. It is proposed that the viewing of violence initially creates an aversive reaction, but this aversiveness, according to the tenets of opponent-process theory, gradually diminishes and is replaced by a pleasurable after-reaction. The habitual viewing of violence may than be seen as an attempt to maintain the resulting pleasurable state. That is, persons may deliberately seek out excessibly fearful events because of the positivity of the (opposite) response which follows from the removal of the frightening stimulus. Three studies are proposed. The first examines whether the pattern of affective dynamics predicted by opponent process theory is produced by repeated exposure to displays of violence. Affect will be assessed using both physiological and subjective measurements. The second study tests the model's predictions concerning the temporal dynamics of affect, by varying the rapidity with which violent sequences are presented. It is expected that frequent repetitions will increase the preference for continued viewing of violence. In the third study, an attempt is made to condition the opponent affects to a neutral stimulus. Using a measure of altruism, the research will try to demonstrate that media violence produces both aversive and pleasurable effects, which can have both negative and positive consequences, respectively. Support for an addiction model of television viewing would have far reaching implications, not only in terms of TV's displacement of more productive and meaningful intellectual and social behavior, but also--considering the extensive amount of research documenting the relationship of media violence to acts of aggression--in terms of fostering aggression in the viewer.